Gas-engine.



L. ILLMER, JB. GAS ENGINE. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 21, 1910.

"LJS I PatentedManawm a SHEETS-SHEET}.

INVENTO I L. ILLMER, JR.

GAS ENGINE. v APPLIUATION FILED JAN.21, 1910.

M/ NTOR I w 1/ l I 0 L Patented Mar. 3, 1914 L. ILLMER, JR.

GAS ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1610.

' Pzitented Mar. 3, 1914.

a si mfl'rgwnnn'fsh llllllllllllll E I Eli LOUIS ILLlVIER, 31%., F READING, FENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ILLMER GAE ENGINE COMPANY, A CGBPORA'IION OF DELAWARE.

GAS-ENGINE.

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To all whom if; may tconcern Be it known that l, Louis lLLMnR, J12, of Reading, Berks County, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same My invention relates to a two cycle double acting gas engine, especially applicable to the upright marine type.

An important feature'of this invention is the peculiar organization of parts by which the engine may be reversed.

Another important feature is the con struction and arrangement of the pump, by which explosive charges and scavenging air are introduced into the working chamber and which pump is so combined with the other elements that it contributes to and follows the reversing operation. By thus combining these elements If am able to accomplish reversal by throwing over a lever, so arranged that the other elements follow with such operation as may be necessary to bring about the reversal. v

in the drawing: Figure 1 is an elevation of the engine, showing the starting valve in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the engins at the pump side thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the pump and working chambers. Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the starting check valve. 3

designates the base of the engine; 11 the frame; 12 the working cylinder and 14: the pump cylinder.

12 is arranged a double acting iston 15 on the rod16, one end of which pro1ects through the cylinder and is attached to a cross-head 17 running on a guide 18 and connected by a rod 19 with a crank 20. In each end of ,the cylinder 12 is arranged an annular inlet valve '21 while the exhaust ports 22 are located at the middle of the cylinder and opened and closed by the piston, as usual.

The inlet valves are mechanically operated from an eccentric 23 on-the crank shaft driving an eccentric'rod 24. This rod is articulated to an. eccentric rocker arm 25 mounted on a stud 26 carried by the frame. The arm drives a reach rod 27 (broken away in Fig. 1) and said rod 27 in turn drives a rocker mounted on a stud 29 carried by the cylinder 12 This rocker is Specification of Letters Patent.

In the power cylinder Application filed January 21, 1910. Serial 539,218.

connected by links 30 with the valve operating linkage 31, which may be of any desired type, but is preferably operated by means of the double toggle shown in the drawings. The inlet valve eccentric is set so that its phase position coincides approximately with that of the power piston movements. v

\Vithin the pump cylinder 1% is the piston 32, actuated by a rod 33 which. is joined to a cross-head 34E-running in a guide The cross-head 34 is joined to a connectingrod 36 which is connected to a block 37. This block slides in a rocker quadrant 38 which is pivoted on a stud 39 and receives its m0- tionfrom two links it) articulated to the connecting rod 19. The mechanism shown normally drives the pump so as to lead in phase position approximately 90 degrees with respect to the power piston movements.

lf'he connecting rod 36 and the block 37 are adapted to be shifted on the quadrant 38 when the engine is reversed, so as to cause the pump piston to lag in phase, approximate y 90 degrees with respect to the power piston movements while the engine is coming to a rest, as will hereinafter fully up pear. This shifting of the connecting rod 36 may be brought about in any desired 1 have shown a lever 41 intermediately fulcrumed and connected at its lower-end with the rod 36 by a link 42, the upper end having a toothed quadrant 43 engaged' with a worm dd rotatably mounted and operated manually by a wheel 45. By

till

starting air into the power cylinder, and 4-7 designates the valveproper. The stem of the valve 47 is pivoted to the intermediate port-ion of a floating lever 49, one end of which lever is articulated to a rod 50 and the other end to an intermediately fulcrumed lever 51. The rod 50 is pivoted to the rocker arm 25 and the rod 51 is joined to the pump cross-head 34 by means of a link 52. It will be seen therefore that the starting valve is actuated by the combined motions of the eccentric 23 and pump rod connections, so that, in this manner, I secure the proper timing of the starting valve, as will be later fortln 53 designates the entrance for a supply of gas, controlled by a throttle valve 54 which allows the gas to enter the chamber 55 of the pump. Said valve is adapted to be actuated by hand, or automatically by a govcrnor .(not shown).

56 designates the air supply chamber of the pump which communicates with the atmosphere through a perforated wall 57.

The air and gas movements are under control of valves 58 which will be described later.

At each end of the pump are U-shaped connections 59 which communicate with the pump and with the passages 60 leading respectively to the inlet valves 21 of the working cylinder 12. Said passages are provided with reticulated walls 61 and baffles 62 to insure proper mixing of the air and gas, fully set forth hereinafter. Normally the pump is driven to lead the power'piston movements so that when one of the inlet valves 21 opens, the pump piston is moving toward that valve and forcing the air and gas into the power cylinder.

The starting valve is so arranged that throughits pipe connections 63 it will normally throw compressed air into the ends of the power cylinder at the time that the piston is moving from the same.

66 designates check valves which open into the cylinder 12 to admit air from the pipe connections 63. Compressed air is supplied to the starting valve through a connection 6a gontrolled by a valve from a tank (not shown).

The engine is provided with the usual ignition devices (not shown) and serves to compress, ignite and expand the charge in the manner usual in this class of engine. Assuming that the parts are in the adjustment shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and that. the engine is running in the direction indicated by arrows in Fig. 3, to-re'versetheengme, the hand wheel 45 is operated so as to throw the pump connecting rod 36 over to the other side of the rocker This will result in simultaneously changing the action of the pump piston and of the starting valve. The pump piston will thereby be caused to reverse its motion, and, until such time as the engine begins to reverse, the starting valve will be shifted in phase so as to .throw compressed air into the power cylinder at orabout mid-compression stroke. The piston 15 at this time will con; tinue its downward motion under the Force of the explosion above it. but the pump pis ton. moving upward, will, while the lower inlet. valve is open, tend to draw the charge back out of the lower end of the cylinder. The continued downward motion of the piston 15 will. when the inlet valve closes. compress the air an( gas or the air alone in the lower end of the power cylinder and when the piston is at mid stroke compressed air will be admitted into the lower end of the cylinder until the pressure therein equa-lizes with the pressure of the compressed air supply at which time the compressed air supply wi-tl be cut off by the action of the check valves controlling the air supply into the cylinder. The still continued motion of the piston serves to further compress the air, and, on account of piston leakage and the cooling efilect on the cylinder walls, a portion of the energy of the highly compressed air will be dissipated so as to retard the motion of the engine. lVhen the bottom dead center position of the piston is reached the inlet valve at the top of the cylinder will be opened, but by this time the pump piston will be moving downward and therefore will not force any charge into the top of the cylinder. The piston then returns toward its upper position, the engine still running in its original direction as shown by the arrow at the crank shaft in Fig. 3, but at reduced speed. hen the middle of the upward stroke is reached, the starting valve, whose action has been changed by shifting the rod 86, will cause air to be thrown into the upper end of the cylinder against the uprising piston. The compressed air so admitted, finally stops the upward motion of the piston and forces it downward, reversing the direction.

of rotation of the engine shaft 20. The engine shaft and its connected piston will then run in the reverse direction and this reverse direction corresponds precisely with the reversed adjustment of the pump and" starting valve, so that the starting valve now again throws air into the cylinder ends at the times that the piston reaches the beginning of its expansion strokes and the engine, operating as an air engine, immcc iately accelerates its speed in. the reverse direction. Meanwhile, the pump will be operating in synchronisin with, but now loading in phase with respect to the power piston movements, and, after a few revolutions, the pump will resume its normal operation and explosion within the working cylinder will again take place. driving the engine as before, but reverscly to its former directionof motion. After the reversal of the engine has been accomplished the igniting mechanism should be adjusted to giw the spark the proper load with respect to the power piston.

Of the check valves which control the starting air admission from the connections 63, one is shown in Fig. 3. There are two of these valves, one at each end of the working cylinder, and. as shown in section in Fig. 4'. each is contained within a suitable housing 67 and normally closed by springs 68. \Vhen. therefore. the starting valves throw air into either of the connections 63,

the corresponding valve 66 opens and remains open until the pressure in the cylin-' i the connection leads. At this time the pres gine through arms 77 fastened to their stems' sure in the cylinder will be greater than that of the compressed air and hence the valves 66 will not open.

The starting valve for timing thetlow of compressed air into the power cylinder is shown in section in Fig. 1 and' it comprises a double piston valve, the sections of which are connected by a reduced portion or neck 69. The casing 1-6 has a central chamber and end chambers 71. The chambers 71 co1nmunicate respectively with the connections 63. The chamber 70 communicates with the supply pipe ea. The reciprocation of the valve serves alternately to connect the middle chamber 70 with the end chambers 71 to supply compressed air alternately to the pipes 63. The gearing which I have employed for driving this valve 47 and the con nection of this gearing with both the eccentric 20 and the pump rod 36 enables me to give the valve the proper movements which result in the above described operation of reversing the engine. By means of such mechanism the starting valve is made to shift in phase position by about 4K5 degrees with respect to the power piston movements.

The details of the pump and its method of operation will now be described: The gas inlet port 53 is controlled by the throttle 54 and connects with the gas chamber 55. The chamber 55 has two ports 7 3 communicating with the seat housings of the valves 58. These housings also have ports 74 communicating with the air supply chamber 56 and ports communicating with the ducts 59, and ports 7 6 communicating with the pump cylinder 14. The valves 58 are mechanically operated in unison with the cycle of the en- (see Fig. 1) and joined .by links 78 with the links 30 of the inlet valve gear, the arrangement being such that the valves 58 alternately assume the two positions shown in Fig. 3, in one of which the air and gas supplies are shut off from the pump cylinder and the ports 75 and 7G communicate with each other, and, in the other of which the ports 75 and 73 communicate with. each other on one hand and the ports 74 and 7 t} communicate with each other on the other hand.

The operation of the pump valves from the inlet valve eccentric forms an important feature of the present invention.

The U-shaped ducts 59 have each of them i one leg communicating respectively with the ports 75, while the other legs of the ducts communicate with the ports 79 in the heads of the pump cylinder 14:. These ducts 59 communicate with the inlet passages 60 intermediate their ends at the sides adjacent the ports 79, thus dividing the ducts into two sections, 2'. c. the section between the ports 79 and passages 60 (termed the air leg) and the section between the ports 75 and the passages 6O (termed the gas leg).

The operation of the pump is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the adjustment shown in Fig. 1. the downward motion of the piston 32 will cause air to be drawn into the top of the cylinder 14 through the ports 74 and 76. The upper inlet valve 21 being closed, the downward motion of the piston 32 rarefies the air in the duct 59 and causes gas to be drawn through the ports 73 and 75 into the gas leg of the top duct 59-. A; the end of the stroke the top of the cylinder 14 is filled with air which extends through the air leg of the top duct 59 and through the connection 60 leading t the inlet valve while the gas leg of the duct 59 extending bet-ween the port 75 and connection 60 is filled with gas. the front or advance face of which lies either at or adjacent to the entrance of the connection 60. Upon return motion of the piston 32 the valves 58 reverse ward the connection 60. This forces into the working cylinder the air lying in the connection 60, such air constituting a stratum which flows through the power cylinder to scavenge and cool it. Continued flow of air in the air leg and of gas in the gas leg of the duct 59 causes the air and gas to meet at the entrance to the connection 60 and they are there mixed by the baffles 61 and 62,

forming the explosive mixtures which pass on into and through the connection 60, past the still open inlet valve 21 and into the cylinder 1:2 as the working charge. stratum of explosive mixture thus formed air flowing from the pump cylinder, which air flowing into the connection 60 pushes the explosive mixture into the cylinder 12 and itself lies in the connection 60. There- This and introduced is followed by the remaining upon the inlet valve 21 closes and the air in charges into the working cylinder, Simuh the connection 60 is in a position to be intaneously the starting valve i7 will be retroduced into the cylinder as the scavenging versed and this will cause the engine to be blast at the next following period in th first brought to rest and then turned backcycle when the piston is at the top of the ward, again operating as an air motor until 70 engine cylinder. The piston 32 in returning the pump resumes its normal operation and brings about, in the lower end of the pump throws the working charges into the cyland in the lower end of the working chaminder, whereupon, the engine resumes its her, operations similar to those just dem l operation, but in a reverse direcscribed, tion. 75

It will therefore appear that by means What I claim is of my invention involving the use of a sln- 1. In a reversing two-cycle internal comgle pump fitted only with two valves, I sup bastion engine having a power cylinder, a ply to the working chambers of a double pump normally discharging the motive fluid 5 acting engine alternate strata of scavenging into the power cylinder, a pump piston opers 80 air and explosive mixture which strata pass atcd to lead in phase position with respect successively to the cylinder, the scavenging to the power piston movements, means shittair blowing through the same to cleanse and ing the pump piston to lag in phase posicool it and the mixture stratum entering tion whereby the pump ceases its discharge the cylinder as the working charge and fol of motive fluid while the engine is coming 85 lowed by a secondstra-tum of scavenging to rest, and resumes its normal discharge air which lies back of the inlet valve isolatfunctions immediately upon reversal of roing it from the gas supply and preventing tation. "back explosio'ns. If desired the discharge 2. A reversing internal combustion en of thepump may be adjustably controlled gine having a power cylinder and piston, bv means of a suitable by-pass. As shown a pump supplying the motive fluid to the in the drawing, the cavities 80 are formed in power cy inder, a starting valve for timing the walls of the pump cylinder 1d, adjacent the flow of starting air into the power cylto and communicating with the ports 76, inder, means shifting the phase position of and from these cavities 80, the ports 81 the pump and the starting valve with re- 5 lead to pipe connections 82 outside of the spect to the power piston movements while cylinder (Fig. 1) and return to ports 83 running, whereby to cause the pump to cease communicating with the interior of the its discharge of motive fluid and to cause pump cylinder (Fig. 3). Numeral S4 desigthe starting valve to throw compressed air nates the control valves in the pipe connccagainst the power piston during its com- 0 tions 82 by which the by-pass may be ad- 1 s on stroke while the engine is coming justed. to rest.

i The organized operation of the engine 3. A two-cycle internal combustion enmay be traced as follows: To start the enginc having a power cylinder and piston, a

gine the air valve should beopen and the pump supplying the motive fluid to the 5 engine turned off center. Instantly air prespower cylinder, a starting valve timing the sure-will be supplied to one or the other end flow of starting air into the power cylinder, of the working cylinder 12 according to the means for driving the pump and the startposition of the starting valve, causing the ing valve in svnchronism and for shifting 45 engine to turn over and to operate as an their phase positions with respect to the air motor. The engine thus operating, power piston movements while running, drives the piston 32 of the pump and the whereby to cause the pump to cease its disstrata of air and gas are formed and adcharge of motive fluid and to cause the startmitted to the engine cylinder as above deing valve to throw compressed air against 50 scribed. As soon as a working charge is the power piston during its compression entered into place in the working cylinder stroke while the engine is coming. to rest and and compressed therein it will be exploded to immediately start the engine in the reverse by the spark and from that time on the direction by throwing compressed air engine will take up its normal operation as against said piston during its expansion 55 an explosive engine. The starting air now stroke, after which the pump immediately becoming inoperative, by reason of the suresumes its normal charging functions. perior pressure of the exploding charges l. In a two-cycle internal combustion enkeeping closed the check valves 66. At this gine having a power cylinder and piston, time it is preferable to close the valve 65, an inlet valve for the power cylinder, a

60 though, as I have before stated, this may be pump normally discharging the motive fluid left open without detriment. To reverse to the inlet valve, a pump piston operated the engine, the pump connecting rod 36 to lead in phase position with respect to the should be thrown over to the quadrant 38, power piston movements, a suction valve thus reversing the action of the pump, renfor the pump, a crank shaft, an eccentric dering it for the time inoperative to throw mounted thereon, means operating both the inlet valve and the suction valve from said eccentric and means for shifting the pump piston to lag in phase position while running and to cease its normal discharge functions while coming to rest.

5. In a two-cycle internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, an inlet valve to the cylinder, a pump supplying the working charg'e' to the cylinder, a suction valve for the pump, a crank shaft, an eccentric mounted thereon and means mechanically operating both the inlet valve and the suction valve from the eccentric.

6. In a two-cycle internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, an inlet valve for the cylinder, separate supplies of air and gaseous fuel, a suction valve for said supplies, a crank shaft, an eccentric on the crank shaft, and means mechanically operating both the inlet valve and the suction valve from the eccentric.

7. In a two-cycle internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, an inlet valve for the cylinder, a pump supplyin the working charge to the inlet, a disc arge valve for the pump, a crank shaft, an eccentric thereon, and means mechanically operating both the inlet valve and the discharge valve from the eccentric.

8. In a two-cycle internal combustion engine, a power cylinder andpiston, an inlet valve for the cylinder, a crank shaft, an

. eccentric on the crank shaft and operating the inlet valve, a pump supplyin the working charge to the power cylin er and, so driven as to lead in phase position with respect to the power piston movements, a starting valve timing the flow of air into the power cylinder, and means for operating the starting valve by the combined motions of the eccentric and the pump piston movements.

9. In a two-cycle internal combustion engine having a power cylinder and piston, an

inlet valve for the cylinder, a crank shaft, an eccentric mounted thereon and operating the inlet valve, a pump supplying the working charge to the power cylinder and'so driven as to normally lead in phase position with respect to the power plston movements, a starting valve timing the flow of compressed air into the power cylinder, means operating the starting valve by the combined motions of the eccentric and the pump piston movements, and means for shifting the phase of the pump piston movements while running, to simultaneously shift the phase of the starting valve movements with relation to the power piston movements.

10. In a reversing two-cycle internal combustion engine, a power cylinder and piston,

a pump normally discharging the motivefluid into the power cylinder, a starting valve normally timing the flow of starting air into the power cylinder during the expansion stroke, means for shifting the phase positions of both the pump and the starting valve movements with respect to the power piston movements, whereby to cause the pump to cease its discharge of motive fluid and to throw compressed air into said cylinder during the compresslon stroke.

11. In an internal combustion engine having a power cylinder and a piston, an inlet valve to the cylinder, a pump discharging to the power cylinder, a control valve for the pump, a crank shaft and a valve gear means in operative connection with the crank shaft for oscillating both the inlet valve and the control valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS ILLMER, JR.

Witnesses! RALPH H. MENGEL, D. D. MENGEL. 

